It happens to almost every HR manager or hiring supervisor eventually: you interview an employee who has a great interview and seems like a good fit for the job, only to discover that he is either nowhere near qualified enough, doesn’t have the right skills or isn’t as familiar with the industry as he led you to believe. What went wrong?
It can be almost impossible to weed out the bad employees who give great interviews, but in most instances, you can catch these interviewees before they become employees just by knowing the red flags to watch for during the interview.
Red Flag #1: Has An Answer For Everything
A confident, experienced and well-rounded employee is every employer’s dream — until she isn’t. While an interviewee who knocks every single question out of the ballpark and has experience with every task or situation you present may sound like the employee to hire, be suspicious. A few very experienced candidates may be able to reference something for every question, but an honest candidate will admit to being stumped from time to time.
Red Flag #2: Has A Very Vague Answer For Most Things
Likewise, the interviewee who answers everything, but gets extremely vague on details, is one to look out for. There’s always a chance the candidate simply doesn’t interview well, but giving vague, general answers to most of your questions is a good sign that the candidate is not every experienced or doesn’t pay much attention to details.
Red Flag #3: Doesn’t Ask Enough Questions About The Job
As an interviewer, it’s easy to assume that a candidate who doesn’t ask many questions about the job description, the working conditions, benefits and other pertinent details is well-informed. That may be the case in a few isolated situations — but most of the time, it means the candidate doesn’t know enough about the job or your organization to know what questions to ask.
Red Flag #4: Has Nothing Nice To Say About Previous Employers
If yours is a competitive field, or you have rivalries with many candidates’ previous employers for the same pool of qualified employees, it’s hard not to enjoy interviewees’ snarky comments about your competition. Don’t. While some candidates’ frustrations with previous employers may be justified, the best candidates can still find something nice to say about the job and the employer.
Interviewing potential hires is not everyone’s strong suit. That’s where Staffing Partners’ employment experts come in! Staffing Partners’ pool of qualified, experienced temporary and temp-to-hire employees have already been prescreened, taking much of the burden off you as an employer. Contact us today to see how we can help you avoid the post-interview blues!
